Bob Jungels (Deceunink-QuickStep) will continue with his twin objectives of shining in the cobbled Classics and then aiming at the GC in Grand Tours at least for another year, despite his difficulties in the Giro d`Italia this May. Riders like Sean Kelly were able to meld the two specialities well in the 1980s, but since then few pros have followed the Irish star`s footsteps and fewer still have succeeded. Double Tour of Flanders winner Stijn Devolder, who briefly claimed the leadership of the 2007 Vuelta a España, is a notable example of a Classics racer who tried and failed to combine rattling over the cobbles in April with racing the high mountains in summer.ADVERTISEMENT For Jungels, combining both is something he calls a `work in progress.` Jungels has successfully combined the Ardennes with Grand Tour racing in the past, but he recognises that doing the cobbled Classics and the Grand Tours is another challenge altogether. In 2018, Jungels claimed 11th at the Tour de France after winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and in 2017 he was 8th at the Giro d`Italia, having won the stage into Bergamo and earlier spending five days in the maglia rosa. The previous edition saw him finish 6th overall and wear pink for three days. Having focused on the Ardennes Classics for the three previous years, Jungels was drafted into Deceuninck-QuickStep`s cobbled Classics unit this spring. He enjoyed notable success in Flanders, taking a resounding triumph in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, as well as placing third in Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth at the E3 BinckBank Classic.
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